Raymond Bulambula

Visiting Fellow Raymond Bulambula guides a UVA art student in making a "Marratjirri" Morning Star Pole.

Fayerweather Studio

Fayerweather Hall, McIntire Department of Art at the University of Virginia

KR Banner

Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia

Fralin

The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia

Artist Talk: Julie Gough

Thursday, November 16, 2017
5:30pm | Kluge-Ruhe

 Indigenous Tasmanian artist Julie Gough, whose artwork explores the absence of memorials to the histories of genocide and massacre that occurred on her native land in Tasmania, will explore this topic in Charlottesville when she visits for a residency in October. An installation of her artwork titled Hunting Ground is currently on view at the Kluge-Ruhe Collection.

For the last several years, Charlottesville has been the national hotbed of debate about the relevance of memorials to the past and their role in the future of our community. Julie Gough, a leading Indigenous Australian artist whose work is in major public and private collections in Australia, has been raising awareness about this issue in Tasmania using prints and video installation works.

For Hunting Ground, Gough did extensive research into how Tasmania went from plentiful hunting grounds for Indigenous people to a land where those same people were hunted down when it was invaded and colonized by the British in the 19th century. After researching the massacres that took place, only some of which are known and documented, Gough created her own memorials to those dark events and posted them where they occurred, re-inscribing the land with an almost forgotten history. 

While these events happened more than a hundred years ago in Tasmania, Gough is interested in how, if and why they are remembered, and from whose perspective. As Charlottesville begins to heal from the recent domestic terrorist attack by white nationalists and the ongoing controversy around Confederate statues, this exhibition is particularly relevant to an American audience. In addition to providing an international parallel to recent events, the exhibition and Gough’s residency will provide a perspective from many years following such tragic histories: What purpose do memorials serve? How do we process trauma and move into the future without forgetting? How is memory preserved at the physical sites where events occurred? Who is telling the story and what motivations do they have?

Gough looks at the landscape with an archaeological lens, where histories layer on top of one another, hiding the layers beneath. She is also interested in how histories of violence and oppression toward Native American people in Charlottesville and surrounding areas have been covered by the legacies of slavery, and what can be done to uncover them.

Julie Gough will visit Charlottesville for an artist residency October 26 – November 20. She will give a gallery talk of Hunting Ground on Saturday, November 4 at 10:30 am and present her work in an artist talk on Thursday, November 16 at 5:30 pm, followed by a reception from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. She will guest lecture to various courses at UVA.

Gallery Tour with Julie Gough

Saturday, November 4, 2017
10:30am | Kluge-Ruhe

Meet Indigenous Tasmanian artist Julie Gough, whose artwork explores the absence of memorials to the histories of genocide and massacre that occurred on her native land in Tasmania. Gough will guide guests through her current exhibition at Kluge-Ruhe entitled Hunting Ground.

Julie Gough will visit Charlottesville for an artist residency October 26 – November 20. She will give a gallery talk of Hunting Ground on Saturday, November 4 at 10:30 am and present her work in an artist talk on Thursday, November 16 at 5:30 pm, followed by a reception from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. She will guest lecture to various courses at UVA.

Exhibition Opening: Federico Cuatlacuatl

Friday, October 27, 2017
5-7pm | Ruffin Gallery

Federico Cuatlacuatl - Tiemperos del Antropoceno

About the Exhibition The McIntire Department of Art is pleased to announce "Tiemperos del Antropoceno (Timekeepers of the Anthropocene)", and exhibition in the Ruffin Gallery by incoming UVA Assistant Professor of Art Federico Cuatlacuatl. The multi-media exhibition was produced in collaboration with the First Battalion of Indianapolis, a small community of undocumented immigrants originating in Cholla, Puebla, Mexico, who have established an annual carnival celebration in Indiana that echoes the original carnival celebration in Huejotzingo, Puebla. The exhibition considers issues of Hispanic immigrant diaspora in the U.S., asking whether cultural efforts and gestures transposed have any effect under the current political climate. It questions the nature of relationships between Hispanic immigrant communities and the forces of national and global power. The show will remain on view through December 8.

Opening Reception in Ruffin Gallery on October 27 from 5 to 7pm.  

Gallery Hours are Monday to Friday, 9am - 4:30pm.

Location Ruffin Gallery is located in Ruffin Hall, 179 Culbreth Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22903

Parking is available in the Culbreth Garage.

 

Film Screening: Rumble

Virginia Film Festival
Monday, October 9, 2017
4:30pm | PVCC

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World

Sunday, November 12, 4:30pm

PVCC Dickinson Center

Screened as part of the 2017 Virginia Film Festival.

2017. Canada. 102 min.
Director: Catherine Bainbridge, Alfonso Maiorana Featuring: Robbie Robertson, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Martin Scorsese, Steven Tyler, Iggy Pop

From folk songstress Buffy Sainte-Marie to rock artist Link Wray, whose 1958 song Rumbleinfluenced the likes of Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page, Native American musicians have had an indelible effect on the music industry that often is overlooked. Directors Catherine Bainbridge (Reel Injun) and Alfonso Maiorana bring this contribution to light by profiling important Native American musicians through reenactments, archival footage, and conversations with artists who knew them. Tony Bennett, Iggy Pop, Martin Scorsese, and more discuss the impact Indigenous voices have had on their lives and on music as a whole.

Trailer

Indigenous Peoples' Day

Monday, October 9, 2017

 

Several weeks ago Charlottesville City Council formally changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day!  

Indigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday celebrated in many U.S. cities to honor and acknowledge the past and continuous presence of Native people in the Americas. It began before 1992 as a protest of Columbus Day, with Native groups contending that Columbus did not “discover” them—they were already here—and that the actions of Columbus and his men were not only less than heroic toward their ancestors, but that they committed genocide while invading and stealing their land. At least fifty cities and municipalities are now celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day rather than Columbus Day.  

Ways to Celebrate

 

Learn About Australian Indigenous Art and Culture
Monday, October 9, lunchtime tour and discussion at 12 pm, Kluge-Ruhe Collection

Kluge-Ruhe is usually closed on Mondays, but we will be open on Indigenous Peoples Day! Come visit the museum on your own or bring a lunch and join for a discussion.

Celebrate at the City Council Meeting
Monday, October 9, 7:00 pm, Charlottesville City Hall

Charlottesville City Council will officially present the proclamation of Indigenous Peoples Day to Monacan tribal elder Karenne Wood. Don't miss this historic moment for local Indigenous people in our city.

Acknowledge Monacan People
 October 9 and year-round

It is a common practice in Australia to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land at the beginning of any occasion or program. Are you in a position of regularly holding public events or hosting them? Consider beginning every event with a brief acknowledgment of the Monacan nation. It is a way of showing awareness and respect for the Indigenous custodians of the land and may be delivered by a non-Indigenous person. Here are scripts written by Monacan tribal leader Karenne Wood and Kluge-Ruhe for you to use:    

“Please join me in acknowledging and paying respect to the traditional custodians of the land we are on today, the Monacan people.”

OR 

“We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we are on today, the Monacan Nation, and pay our respect to their elders past and present.”

If you begin doing this, please let us know! We would like to keep track of individuals and organizations who are choosing to honor Indigenous people in this way.

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